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The offensive line has finally been addressed!
With the 46th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals landed Clemson Tigers offensive lineman Jackson Carman. The pick was acquired in a trade with the New England Patriots that saw Cincinnati move down and get two extra fourth-round picks.
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After taking LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase in Round 1, it was widely expected that the Bengals would address the offensive line on Day 2, and they wasted no time doing so by landing Carman, who played tackle in college but is expected to move to guard in pros, at least early on in what hopes to be a long and productive career.
A native of Fairfield, Ohio, Carman was a finalist for both the Anthony Munoz National Offensive Lineman of the Year award and the USA Today Offensive Player of the Year award as a senior at Fairfield Senior High School in the 2018 class. Rivals.com ranked him 16th nationally and No. 1 in the state of Ohio before he went to Clemson.
At Clemson, Carman played in 13 games as a backup left tackle for the national champions in 2018 as a true freshman. He became a starter there for all 15 games of his sophomore year and earned Third-Team All-ACC honors.
This past season, Carman started all 12 games at left tackle and earned Second-Team All-ACC honors. Pro Football Focus had him ranked 48th overall coming into the draft, so getting him at 46 was decent value.
At 6-4 with an 87-inch wingspan, Carman may not be able to play tackle effectively in the NFL, which is why many projected him as a guard coming into the draft. Seeing as how the tackle spots should be set in 2021 with Jonah Williams and Riley Reiff, starting Carman out at guard is probably the best move, though he’ll hopefully develop into a quality starting tackle by the time Reiff departs.
Also, Carman underwent offseason back surgery and missed Clemson’s initial Pro Day, though he eventually held his own and reportedly performed well at it.
Jackson Carman is returning to the Queen City. Welcome back home! pic.twitter.com/JWQ3tOvKR5
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) May 1, 2021
Bengals draft picks 2021
- Round 1, Pick No. 5: LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase
- Round 2, Pick No. 38: Clemson OL Jackson Carman
- Round 3, Pick No. 69
- Round 4, Pick No. 111
- Round 5, Pick No. 149
- Round 6, Pick No. 190
- Round 6, Pick No. 202
- Round 7, Pick No. 235
The Bengals’ remaining top draft needs are:
OL, LB, DE, TE, DT.
- Day 2 NFL Draft schedule: 7 pm ET, Friday, April 30th
- NFL Draft Order
- Bengals Twitter List
- Grades for every pick thus far